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Mask of Empathy
The Mask of Empathy is a powerful Kanohi mask which has only been created in a small number of universes, usually those experiencing a large conflict of some form. The mask at a basic level allows the user to sense the emotions of every nearby sentient being, but it could also allow the user to share their emotions with others and influence the emotions of others (amongst other things). Many beings are still debating the morality of this mask as, despite at first seeming fairly limited in use, the bearer of such a mask would have the power to end a war, or start a new one. Therefore it has only been successfully created in universes where a great conflict has/is occurring, in the hopes of ending the conflict. History Prime Reality In the Prime Reality, it is believed that the Order of Mata Nui assigned several Ta-Matoran mask makers to create a Mask of Empathy, shortly before the Destiny War. The Order planned to use it as a weapon, both to recruit beings into their army, and to cripple the Makuta with fear. However, the Ta-Matoran did not managed to make the mask successfully before Teridax took control of the universe and the mask was never completed. After the reformation of Spherus Magna, the Order once more saw benefits of such a mask, mainly to settle the tension between the Agori and Matoran, and once more attempted to create one. It is unknown if a Mask of Empathy was created or not. Dark War Universe In the Dark War Universe, the Order assigned several Matoran mask makers to create a Mask of Empathy, with a Ta-Matoran living on the Southern Continent managing to create one roughly seven years after the first Toa/Dark Hunter War ended. However, before the Order could collect the mask, Makuta forces stormed the village and killed the Ta-Matoran who had created the mask (amongst others), the secret of the mask's creation dying with him. This attack, however, was not aimed at retrieving the Mask of Empathy, as the Makuta did not know that it even existed, and the mask was overlooked by their forces. Shortly after the Makuta had moved on from the village, a Matoran thief found the mask and took it, along with several other items, planning to sell them. He eventually arrived at a small Ga-Matoran village, situated by a large lake, on the Southern Continent. He sold the mask to the Ga-Matoran (not knowing its value) in return for fresh supplies and moved on once more. A few days later he was intercepted and questioned by Order agents on the mask's whereabouts. The thief told them that he had sold it and the agents travelled to the Ga-Matoran village in the hopes of finding it there. However, when they got there, they found that the village had been destroyed, and could find no signs of the mask. With no clues as to where the mask could be, they could only assume that it had been taken by either the Makuta or Dark Hunters, they returned to Daxia and gave Helryx the bad news. In actual fact, an Av-Matoran disguised as a Ga-Matoran (by the name of Seshra) had lost her mask during the attack and, just by chance, was given the Mask of Empathy by a friend of hers, who had bought the mask from the thief. Seshra, along with two other Ga-Matoran, a Ta-Matoran and a Bo-Matoran (named Virid), then managed to escape the attack. After travelling through the wilderness for days, they came across a strange Toa of Water, who's armor had several glowing fragments of crystal embedded in it. This Toa would not give them her name, but gave each of them a Toa Stone (none of which were hers) and led them towards a nearby suva. On the journey, the group were hunted and attacked multiple times by a creature of Matoran mythology. After several attacks, all the Matoran were believed dead, asides from Seshra, and the Toa had somehow been separated from her. Seshra managed to make the final leg of the journey on her own, reaching the suva and becoming a Toa. It was only upon her transformation that she realized she was a Toa of light, and the power of her mask. The Kingdom In the Kingdom alternate universe, Turaga Takanuva ordered the construction of a Mask of Empathy (upon hearing legends of such a mask), to help deal with any disputes between the many species who had evacuated to the island of Mata Nui. It is unknown if the mask was completed or not. Example Usage The Mask of Empathy has great usage as an object of good, but could also be used for great evil. Therefore it has yet to be classified as a moral or immoral mask. Since this mask works with emotion, not thought, it's power cannot be blocked out by mental shielding. The mask must be used subtly if the user desires to change the emotions of another, as if the target realizes their emotions are changing, they will become impossible to influence. The mask also takes a great deal of mental strength to use morally, instead of giving in to the numerous possible uses of this mask. *Sensing Emotion: the bearer of this mask, for as long as they wear it, will sense the emotions of every being around them, without choice. This also means that it is impossible for an emotional being to sneak up on a being wearing this mask. This power is also very useful for negotiating, as by knowing what the other being feels, the user of the mask can work out how to get what they want. *Sharing emotion: the wearer of this mask has the capability to share their emotions with others. This does not have to be the emotion the wearer would be feeling at the time, but the user must make themselves feel this emotion in order for this to work. This ability has a number of possible uses, such as: making others happy, making a being feel guilty, making a being feel scared (sometimes to the point at which they may choose not to kill the wearer of the mask, but run away instead), making a being feel upset etc. Every emotion can be used to the advantage of the user, if they are skilled enough. *Influencing emotion: similar to the above ability, this ability allows the user to change what another feels. However, unlike the above where the being in question feels that emotion instantly, this allows the user to subtly alter what a being is feeling, without them even noticing. This works by the user sensing what the other being is feeling and then putting the idea of a different emotion into their mind. This power is also useful for negotiations, and could get the bearer anything they want if used correctly. This ability also has the ability to stop a being feeling an emotion, meaning it could be used to calm someone down, or to removed someone's happiness. It is this ability in particular that the Order wanted to use, in the Dark War Universe, to end the war with the Dark Hunters, by pacifying them. *Removing emotions: the mask can also be used to stop the user, or the target, feeling an emotion. However, once the target has been stopped from feeling something (e.g. feeling sad after the death of a friend) they cannot start feeling that emotion for that reason again (so they would never feel sadness for the loss of that friend again). This power can also be used to inhibit a being's ability to feel any emotion, turning them into a hollow creature which would work only to achieve its own needs, acting without reason or purpose. *Amplifying or decreasing emotion: the user of this Kanohi can also increase or decrease the emotion that their target is already feeling. This ability has the potential to both calm down a being, or cause them to go to war with another; it is also less noticeable to the target, as they are not feeling something new but instead feeling what they already feel to a greater/lesser extent. Known Users *Seshra Trivia *The Mask of Empathy is not considered a legendary mask, however it is unknown if a noble or powerless version of the mask could exist. *A similar mask was invented by Toa Hydros, which MAZEKA didn't know of when he created this mask. However, despite their similarities, MAZEKA believes that the two masks appear to work differently and have enough differences to be considered different masks. *It is not clear as to whether the Great Beings ever intended for such a mask to exist, considering the fact that the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe were not designed to have emotions. Category:Dark War Universe